Managed processes, for example to deliver products or services, are sometimes subject to defined performance goals or SLAs that may define particular metrics, such as cost or time efficiency, which are to be satisfied in the performance of respective instances of the process.
The management of processes subject to SLAs may be facilitated by process modeling or process mapping. A process model generally comprises structured information about at least the sequence and relationship of respective activities constituting a process or processes. Some process models may additionally define relationships of such process activities to other process elements or components, such as information technology (IT) systems, human resources, and the like. In certain embodiments, a business process model may therefore be part of a larger encompassing enterprise model. A process model may also be used to generate a graphical representation of process information. Visual modeling languages used to represent processes include Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and the Event-driven Process Chain (EPC).